Downunder Bistro

Happy Christmas

2009-12-17T17:51:00.006+13:00

I've a backlog of photos to add but will try to remember what recipes they represent after a very welcome long Christmas break. Four weeks, folks! Blissful.

We are packing the car (full to the gunwhales) with all that's required for camping, tramping (hiking), the beach, biking, snorkelling, winery tours, lazy days reading... and crossing fingers for perfect summer weather.

A folding table with benches to sit on and a two-ring gas cooker are brand-new additions to our camping gear. Using these will be so luxurious compared to sitting on the ground battling with a temperamental, aged tramping stove.

Wishing you a fabulous time, wherever you are, and with all that will make it special for you.

Happy Christmas!

Spring has sprung

2009-10-23T15:31:00.012+13:00

Spring has seen me in Christchurch and Melbourne, visiting markets here (Auckland) and there - a highlight being the wonderful Prahran market in Melbourne. There I bought quail and rabbit and tamarind sweets and avocado and marinated olives and fresh mangoes, and revelled in the wide variety of beautiful fresh mushrooms and the cuts of top quality meat from butchers who take great pride (deservedly) in their work - and (oh dear) completely forgot to take my camera along for the ride, but despite that...

I've started populating a new Spring album on my Picasa site. Finally I've had some consistency with my bread baking - making more than one good loaf - and so I've documented my trials starting here, along with shots of markets (sometimes I did remember to take my camera), rabbit and quail cookery, biscotti baking and drinking tea from pretty china cups.

Now the sun seems to be shining slightly more, and the rain seems to be lessening. I feel a barbecue, or two, and picnics at the beach coming on!

Winter album complete

2009-09-26T14:03:00.004+12:00

A few final photos have completed my winter album on my Picasa site.

It seems to have been a quiet winter in the kitchen, in terms of capturing it in photos, but I've found myself cooking quite a few recipes for a second time and it is just a lack of novelty that has stopped me reaching for the camera. My usual approach is to cook a recipe once and then find the next interesting one to move onto, and I'm not sure what has prompted this change, but I really have learnt a lot from repeating recipes and comparing notes to my first attempts - doughs that were dry and crumbly were perfect the second time around, sauces that were perfectly tangy the first time were too vinegary second time around... I'm learning to apply better cooking techniques and to adjust to my taste, and the ingredients on hand, rather than slavishly follow a recipe.

My biggest lessons right now are coming from making my own bread. I've had my first total disaster - an un-salvageable loaf that had to be binned - and am nervously watching the latest loaf, which looks beautiful, fresh out of the oven, for any signs of collapse (a sign of under cooking) as it cools. A friend gave me some sour dough starter and the taste of my long fermented sour dough breads is lovely. I've also wanted to perfect the art of kneading and, although my attempts don't yet result in the bubblegum elasticity of the perfectly prepared doughs pictured in my cookbooks, the baked loaves have been highly successful! More to come when I upload those photos...

But for now, if you have an interest in eggnog, persimmon ice cream, baklava, apricot and pistacio tart, watercress soup or parsley relish then read on here.

Fabulous food adventures

2009-07-17T09:00:00.002+12:00

Kia ora* and thanks for dropping by.

I've loved reading others' food blogs and, as I've been documenting my own kitchen adventures on Picasa for a while, I thought I'd try sharing these a bit more widely.

For anyone who is interested, you are very welcome to browse at downunderbistro.

Food blogs I regularly check in on are listed under my blogger profile. Check 'em out, if you are not already familiar with them, as they are interesting and delightfully well written.

Wishing you health and happiness, ka kite ano*!

Photo: sampling a sweet, sticky treat in Kyoto. Combining travel and food just the best!

* A nod to my location, New Zealand. Kia ora is a Maori greeting, "hi" to you. Ka kite ano means "see you again".